| Garnet. A gem, usually deep red, of several varieties, including the almandite and pyrope. When cut in cabochon, garnets are called carbuncles. Garnet is found in nearly all colors but blue. Rarest of garnets is the green demantoid, found only in the Ural Mountains. Others come from Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and the United States. | Emerald. A deep-green brilliant emerald is one of the costliest of gems. The emerald is a variety of beryl. The finest stones come from Colombia. Other sources are Brazil, Eqypt, Austrailia, Austria, Norway and North Carolina. | Sapphire. A ransparent corundum, or aluminum oxide. Sapphires range from white through blue, violet, yellow, and green to near black. Blue star sapphires with six rays are favorite stones. Fine sapphires are equal in value to diamonds of equal size. Found in Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Jammu and Kashmir. | ||
| Amethyst. A transparent violet-to-purple quartz. Believed by the ancietn greeks to prevent intoxication. Amethyst were used in both Greek and Roman jewelry. Under certain conditions the color of some anethysts may be improved by heating. Under other conditions heating may turn them yello, then clear. Found in quantity in sourthern Brazil and northern Uruguay. Small amounts come from India, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. | Pearl. Pearls can be black, brown, gray, rose, red, blue, green. purple, yello and white. The most valuable pearls are white and silvery-white saltwater pearls that form in the genus Pinctada. Although natural pearls are found all over the world, most of the natural pearls now harvested come from the Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka, the Red Sea and the Philippines. Smaller quantities come from the coast of Venezuela and from the Gulf of California. | Tourmaline. A complex aluminum borosilicate occurring in great variety-colorless, rose red, green, honey yello, violet, an ddark blue. Most tourmaline is obtained from Brazil, Elba, Madagascar, Maine, Connecticut and California. | ||
| Aquamarine. Transparent sea-blue or sea-green beryl; of the same family as the emerald but far less valuable. Found in may parts of the world, particularly Brazil, Sri Lanka, India,Madagascar, Maine, New Hampshire,Connecticut and North Carolina. An aquamarine crystal found in Brazil in 1910 weighed about 240 pounds. | Ruby. A transparent red corundum valued according to shade of color. Large rubies are often worth more than fine diamonds of the same size. Pigeon-blood (deep carmine-red) rubies, which seldom exceed three carats, are obtained from Myanmar. Darker rubies come from Thailand. Rubies also occur in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and North Carolina. | Topaz. An Aluminum fluosilicate occurring in tawny yellow, blue, green, reddish violet, pink and colorless varieties. Found in Brazil, Siberia, Sri Lanka and the United States. | ||
| Diamond. Pure crystallized carbon, the most highly esteemed of all gemstones. The fiery brilliance of the diamond has made it the world's favorite jewel. The word comes from the Greek term adamas, which means "unconquerable". The diamond is the hardest natural substance found on Earth. Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon that have been subjected to tremendous pressure and heat. This process is believed to have taken place deep in the Earth. | Peridot. A yellowish green olivine. Found in St. John's Island(Red Sea), Australia, Hawaii and rarely other places. | Zircon. A zirconium sliciate usually occurring in brownish, gray or brownish red varieties, but sometimes in yellows and greens. Cololess and blue varieties are usually produced by heating brown zircons. Zircons come chiefly from Sir Lanka and Indochina. |
